Recently, my niece moved back to the area from Oregon and let me tell you, I am so glad she is back. It is literally like having a mandatory best friend in your pocket. I just take out my phone and ‘snap’ her (yes, she has taught her old, out-of-touch aunt how to snapchat) and she comes to hang out. Years divide us, but hearts connect us. We have always just kind of gotten each other. I think it’s our artistic minds – the way we view and feel certain things. It’s freeing to have someone who just understands how your mind works; where, how, and why your thoughts head in different directions and how you feel emotions so strongly. She has been staying with us a few nights a week. It is a God send. She helps out so much with my kiddos on nights my husband is out late for work and she also just makes it seem like life is bigger and better. She unknowingly reminds me to live for the small things, that God is good, and that family is forever.

I thought I would do something a little bit different with this blog post, and share 10 random thoughts I have on the days my niece isn’t hanging out with me.

1. Dude. I’m so happy she moved back.
I really, really, really hope that I am able to help her on her path. Please, God, let me be a light unto her life like she is to mine.

2. I think in a previous life I was one of those Hipsters. I love a good hipster outfit. I just wish it went more with momlife. Gah. I am going to steal all of my niece’s hipness, and happily look like I live at Urban Outfitters.

3. How come she looks better in mom jeans than me? I am a mom. How come no mom jeans fit me like that? Dude. She’s so hip. I’m totally hip just hanging out with her. Yup. Going to keep telling myself that.

4. I’m super glad I didn’t start Game of Thrones without her. Seriously, I appriecate someone who can fangirl almost as hard as me.

5. But, like, in the end who will I like more : Jon Snow or Rob Stark? And, by I, I mean us, because clearly we have to decide together who our favorite Dyer wolf is. Yes, yes a Game of Throne reference. Sorry, not sorry. We are only on season three and have so much more to go!

6. Why has she not snapped me back yet? Doesn’t she think mine and the kids faces look so funny in that filter? I mean I think we look adorable.

7. I’m so totally going to borrow this cameo jacket of hers more often. I feel like totally hardcore. Love it. And, ya I probs want to borrow her new big, chunky knit sweater too. Maybe she won’t notice it is missing from her bag….

8. Man, this salad is so good. Wish she was here to eat some with me. I really like someone that loves salads like I love salads.

9. I totally need her to do Whole30 with me again. Not that I can’t do it solo, just like she is so hardcore it makes it easier for me. Ya, time to start healthy. Let’s get on that.

10. Um, like, is it time for her to come back yet?

All of this randomness, but is it? I know I was destined to be her aunt. Just like I know I was made to be Arthur’s wife and, love his Big Fat Greek Family. She is a blessing I didn’t know I needed. She warms my heart and brings joy to my soul. So my many thoughts on days we are not together may be random, but my love for her is not.

We reward our kids with books. We don’t pay them allowance for chores or give money for good grades. We don’t often bribe with toys or candy. I’m not going to pretend we never do, because we are parents and lets be real, sometimes this is the only trick we have left up our sleeve. But, in general we try to set standards we feel the kids can attain without being bribed. Try is the optimal word here.

I’m not sure exactly how long ago this started, but we started rewarding the kids with books. Yes, technically it is something bought and therefore could be considered a bribe. But, how I look at it is at least we are rewarding with reading which is educational. So, therefore, I don’t feel too bad buying them books for acts of good deeds, good weeks at school, good listening, good reading at home, good bedtimes, you name it

Usually we just decide something like, “Hey, you guys were really helpful this week, why don’t we go to the book store?” Or, “We know you worked really hard for a really long time on your project, we are so proud of you. Let’s have a family date at the bookstore.” And, off we go or we set a date. We like Daddy to come with us and we try to make it a family affair. However, with his crazy work schedule that is not always the case. But, we do try to have as many family bookstore dates as possible. We also like to try to have family reading nights. By this I mean, Arti reads Harry Potter ( we are on book four ) with the older kids while I get the baby to bed and then I join them. I have finished the series so I don’t feel left out at all. I join the second I can. It’s been really fun to get into a series with them and I’m so happy Arti thought to start it. It’s definitely something we bond over.

On this particular day it was suppose to rain, hence the umbrellas. My niece was over and we all decided a rainy day at the bookstore sounded amazing. We got ready, headed out, and no rain, but yes bookstore. I love how into picking out books the kids get. I don’t love that sometimes there are meltdowns when they can’t decide which “one” to pick. But, it’s all a learning experience. We have had lots of “teachable moments” at bookstores. You know those times in parenting where you give yourself a pep talk, because what you have to explain to them is something important. Like, one book really does mean one book.

At precisely 9:47 am on Saturday Mr. Occasionally Fashionable suggested we stay the night in San Francisco. Approximately two hours later, I had five people showered, dressed, and packed for a last minute overnight adventure. And, about two hours after we got in the car and one well napped baby later we arrived in the city. We promptly checked in, dropped off our luggage, and then hit the streets. First up was Fisherman’s Warf and Pier 39. The kids couldn’t get enough of it! We then strolled around, hiked some “cement mountains” aka steep streets to check out Lombard street, watched the sunset, leisurely strolled back to our spot for the night, showered, cuddled during a movie, and slept ridiculously well for not being at home.

The next day we woke early and did the the mad dash to get us all dressed and to breakfast before the kiddos broke down in hanger. And, by kiddos I am including myself! Mama is a eat the minute she wakes up kind of Mama. After satisfying our tummies we pack up our things and headed off to our friend’s apartment for a surprise visit. It’s not often our schedules match up, so I was pleasantly surprised to find they were in the city at the same time as us. We all went for coffee and tea, and a leisurely stroll around The Academy of Fine Arts. All the kids wanted to do was “scooter” through San Francisco. I’m so happy our friends knew a safe route so our kids could fulfill their dreams. Watching them zoom down the sidewalk and back was the cutest thing ever. They were sure living it up!

I have to say that when first broached with the subject to skip town all I could think about was what I needed to get done around the house. Laundry needed to be put away. Toys needed to be purged and organized to find room for all the Christmas loot. My closet was in desperate need of some attention and color coding. Backpacks and school supplies needed to be prepped to return for winter break. My car needed to be emptied. But, hold the phone. Total moment right there. I mean live life and create memories or make sure my never ending to-do list is accomplished. Yeah. If it’s never ending, which hello mom life is, of course it can’t be accomplished. Light bulb!

I am so glad we prioritized right. And, I am totally stoked to have a husband that constantly reminds me of what is truly important. Chores can wait, children can’t. Love him. Love us. Love the kids. Love it all. So many prayers of gratitude going up right now. Life is so, so good, and we are beyond blessed. I am so very happy for this reminder right before we head back from winter break. Sometimes with hectic schedules the reason we do it all and the importance of it can get lost. Feeling like this spontaneous adventure really helped spark a light in me to continuously chase memories with these people I love so much and so much thankfulness for the opportunity to do so.

*The baby didn’t care at all about the sea lions. He was just plotting how to get into the water.

We went to chop down a tree as per tradition, but didn’t see any bigger than me. So, this year we opted for one from the farm’s sister spot in Oregon. It’s literally the prettiest, most uniform, and fluffy tree we have ever had. It actually really put me off for a bit not having a Charlie Brown tree. I mean this year we really upped our tree game. I feel like a true adult with a legit tree.

All of these snaps were taken as we walked to tree farm with our family. I love capturing pictures every year as we search for the perfect tree. I super love getting pictures of my husband cutting it down. I am sad we missed that this time around. But, I grew up in Southern California, so this whole tree farm business is still a novelty to me. I absolutely love this day!

He is always trying to distract from his naughty behavior with kisses and hugs. Smart one he is!

If you want to know my favorite thing to do on a rainy day it’s sip tea and read a book. Literally, I couldn’t be happier. To me there is basically nothing more relaxing than escaping into a story. You know how some books just eat you up heart and soul? You read them and are forever changed. Or, you read them and know you will never forget the characters no matter what. It’s so interesting to me how words on a page create such strong emotions. How things we read become echoes not only in our minds, but in our hearts as well. Man I love reading. So much.

One of my top five books that I have read, then reread, and then reread like seven more times is Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Maguire. If you were to ask me why I love it I would say I read it at a point in my life where connecting with these characters was seamless. Their story quickly became important to me simply because of how they made me feel. There is nothing more to it. These characters made me feel. I love them. I love this book. And, whenever I am stuck deciding what to read next I pick this up and read it again. There is a sense of comfort in returning to a story that touched your heart. And, I think, even though I could basically quote this whole book, I will always come back to it.

Oh man, words. I love them.

PS. This is not at all sponsored. I’m just a book nerd and habitual tea drinker that wanted to share a real life snap of my life. Yoga pants, tea, and books. Forever. Ever. But, like, because the baby is napping and the olders are reading books too.

Our first few years married, our Christmas decorations and tree were a bright, bold hodgepodge. Everything we put up was handed down to us and hardly any of it matched.

About five years ago, we started to accumulate new decor that we picked out ourselves. And, by we, I mean I. Our color scheme went from everything you could imagine -to gold and white. For a kid that grew up with a house decked out in whimsical decor, this was quite a departure. My family actually rebelled and teased, ok actually complained to me, the first two years. But, I love a good theme that is centered around gold and sparkle. I didn’t let anyone, not even my mama deter me. Over the past five years, we have slowly increased our decor collection. It’s nice going at a slow pace and not stressing out over a complete renovation. It’s of course more budget friendly. Yes, it does make it so your house isn’t Martha Stewart ready that first year you start changing over your decorations, but that doesn’t mean your house, your decor, and your style isn’t yours on your time frame.

This year our new addition is more burlap and some new wooden accents. I love that burlap is a fabric that makes everything approachable. I don’t think I could put any other fabric all over my downstairs without it being overwhelming and gawdy. So, I appreciate the down to earth and rustic aspect that burlap has added to our amassed collection of white, gold, and shiny Christmas decor. I bought some some new wooden trees and a few wooden ornaments. This mama is happy happy.
The best thing about this year’s new additions is the kiddos played a huge part in prepping everything with me. And, when I say a huge part, I mean they did all but place the burlap artistically on the tree. While my son sectioned of random lengths of the burlap ribbon and synched it with pip cleaners to create a flowy effect, my daughter tied rope loops on all of our new wood snowflake ornaments. I love how we turned what was intended to be snowflake garland into ornaments. We used the included rope to make ornament holders versus stringing them on it. I am proud that we thought outside the box and easily turned these into new fun ornaments.

Snowflake Ornaments :
• any wooden ornaments ( we used a bag of snowflake garland)
• thine twine / rope
• scissors
Simply cut the rope and string it through the ornaments to create a loop to hang on your Christmas tree.

Burlap Garland :
• 2-3 Strands of 30 feet burlap ribbon
• pack of green pipe cleaners
• scissors
Randomly section out different lengths of the ribbon and cinch with the pipe cleaner. Make sure to leave one side of the pipe cleaner a little longer so you can wrap around a tree branch to hold it in place. This help create a more bubbly and flowy effect versus ribbon literally being wrapped straight around the tree.

Addition:
Once we got all of our new decor up I decided I wanted more texture and my son wanted more craft projects. I got a pack of 25 plastic clear ornaments and handed them off to my son along with scissors, various ropes from around the house, and stripes of burlap. He got crafty and filled all the ornaments with different lengths and types of ribbon. We hug majority of them on our tree. They tied together our shiny ornaments and a burlap garland. We used the rest in our tables cape on our dining room table.
I love, love, love the outcome. I seriously couldn’t be happier.

While the kiddos were doing all the crafty work, I was busy with the heavy work : keeping the baby from destroying the house. He is in such a destructive, rip everything out, climb everything, throw everything phase. I feel very lucky that he has yet to figure out how to scale the bar stools, so the bigs can still do their crafts, work, and eat without little man wrecking everything. While the bigs were busy working I was also adding batteries into our first ever twinkle lights. I found this beautiful rope with twinkle lights entwined and once lit, I got to work placing it around the tree. I, however, didn’t realize how inconvenient and non cost effective this addition would be. We ended up needing four ropes for our fluffy tree not two, and now to turn them on I have to dig through the tree and turn on each rope individually. Luckily, I decided to place certain ornaments near each battery pack so I can easily remember where each is and reach in and flip the switch. It is hardly as simple as plugging in one large strand, but for this year I am going to make it work. It’s too pretty not to.

Growing up in Southern California with a sunny, relaxed beach attitude and weather to match I never understood the magic of fall. I mean, I love me some SoCal, but the seasons are : day and night. The weather does not truly change that much. Summer to winter, spring to fall, there isn’t much rain or gloom, but there is a bunch of sunshine. I grew up about 20 minutes inland of Laguna Beach, and the temperatures don’t drop drastically, or raise drastically. So, imagine my complete surprise upon moving to Northern California and finding that fall is my jam. Like, literally.

I love fall. Who knew?

I love the crispness in the air. I love the moody weather. I love rainy days spent inside. I love apple picking and pumpkin patching. I love layers of clothes; scarves over sweaters, over flannels, and jeans with boots. I love the glow of a fireplace ( I wish our house had one, and I pray one day we do ). I love the feeling reading gives me in the fall, like all the written emotions are more vibrant and volatile in sync with the changing weather. I love warm cups of tea everyday, but ten times more in the fall; there is something amazing about a warm cup in a cold hand. I love the majesty of nature, and its ability to fill my eyes with wonder. I love the leaves changing colors, I mean that didn’t really happen much where I grew up.

I love it all.

All of fall.

Don’t get me wrong its not like it don’t enjoy other seasons, or love them for what there are or what they offer. But, something happens to me in the fall. My soul comes alive when the first raindrops hit the ground, my heart is awoken when the mornings turn a bit dreary, my brain comes alive with the chill in the air. I don’t know what this says about me, but I venture to guess that I am somehow connected with this season. I always feel more creative, inspired, and emotional when the weather is the same. Do I match my mood to the weather, or is the weather the reason these come alive? Either way, I love what fall does it me. I love the happiness it brings, the wonder I find in trees going bare to just to grow again, the joy I find in the start of this holiday season.

I mean, fall gets me. I get fall.

I am so blessed that I get to experience the magic of this season, that our family ended up moving to Northern California (against my admit voucher to never leave Southern California). I am very grateful for the life we have been given here, and for my love of this amazing season. It’s funny how life works out. All those things we think we didn’t, don’t, or won’t love, but end up falling for anyways.

That youthful innocence that provides us with the thought process of : one or the other.

No shades of grey.

None.

I’m sitting here wondering what adulthood would be like with a dichotomy like that.

Would our decisions be easier or would they be harder? Would we rest better at night or would we lay awake? Would we love ourselves more or less?

What would adults do without shades of grey?

I feel like so much of my life is lived in the fuzzy undefined grey area. The in between. The wrestling to make the right decisions, to find the right balance, to give myself enough grace.

I fell like I am always in those grey areas.

All fifty shades of them.

Where I am, but I am not.

Because, grey it’s not just a wall color. It’s a way of life.

Will I find an excuse, a reason, a fear in this grey area that makes it so I don’t pursue my goal, become a better mother, be less selfish, devote less time to God?

Grey opens up boundaries and conversations, but does it also limit us?

Do you hide in the grey instead of thrive?

Because, I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to be stuck here for years to one day wake up and see that grey didn’t open up doors for me. It hid me. It buried me in the masses of all its shades. It didn’t say, “Hey pick yes or no! Be black or white! Follow your dream or don’t!” It allowed to me to wallow without defined goals and resolutions.

I don’t want my grey to be stagnant. I want my grey to be liberating. I want my grey to be colorful. I want me grey to be bold, and fearless. I want my grey to be that of a child just realizing there is a color, and option, and idea, that is between black and white, good or bad. I want to live on that edge of youthful innocence where the world isn’t finite, and grey means opportunity not self hinderances.

It is not a new concept for November to be a month of thankfulness and gratitude. I think it is commonly accepted that when Thanksgiving rolls around people start to pay attention to what they are thankful for. Some may dedicate the entire month to thankfulness; some just the actual holiday.

But, as I sit here I think : Why?

Why just November?

Why not every day?

We all, despite every situation life throws at us, have things to be immensely thankful for. So, why then do we just start getting extra thankful around Thanksgiving? What keeps us from daily gratitude? What keeps our words within us when we could extend a verbal thought of appreciation? Why don’t we all wake up daily with immediate thoughts of everything we are thankful for?

What if instead of waking up in a hurry, waking up wanting, waking up lonely, waking up dissatisfied, we woke up thankful? It would be amazing if our very first thought was of sincere gratitude for our faith, our life, our families, our friends. What if we were thankful even for our struggles because they made us stronger? What if we were thankful for our suffering because it made us compassionate?

What if we were just plain thankful for it all?

Do you send up daily prayers of thankfulness? Do you verbally thank your spouse for helping with everyday routines? Do you thank your friends for their helping hands and their shoulders to cry on? Do you thank your children for their love?

I know that in mind heart and mind I am thankful. Numerous times a day I think : Thank you God for these people I get to love, even though they drive me crazy; Thank you husband for dedicating all your time to providing finically and emotionally for our family; Thank you kids for the lessons you teach me, for keeping me adventurous, and for making my heart grow threefold; Thank you girlfriends for the hours of support, laughs, and understanding; Thank you mom for teaching me how to be a parent and how to be strong and resilient; Thank you brother for making me the most proud sister.

All.

These.

Thoughts.

And, emotions.

Are just thoughts and emotions. True, deeply felt thoughts and emotions, mind you, but they aren’t verbalized. They seem to be kept tightly guarded.

Maybe I am scared, maybe I am lazy, or maybe I am used to them assuming I feel these things.

But, I don’t want this. I don’t want it.

I want my thankfulness to be loud. I want it to be heard. I want everyone around me to know how blessed I am for the company I keep and the love they share.

So this November of gratitude, I want you, all of you, to know I am thankful beyond measure. I am blessed beyond belief. My heart is growing and it is in thankfulness.

I want to fall asleep each night thinking about something I am thankful for and I am hoping to wake up each morning with a thought of appreciation. I am placing a journal by my bed with hopes that I will write down one thing each morning that moves me to gratitude. It may just be one word, it may be a phrase, it may be a paragraph of emotion, who knows. All I know is that I want to live a life of thankfulness. I want to know that everything I am, everything I have is all I truly need. I want to tell everyone who touches my heart how thankful I am for them. I want to over use thank you in the most genuine and truest way possible. Every time I can say it to a friend or a stranger I want it to pass my lips in a smile. I want my attitude, love, and faith to be so abundant that I stop wanting, and I start appreciating. There is so much for me to be immensely thankful for. I want to own it, and I want to speak it. I want to share it.

And, you know what?

I want it to be for more than November. After all, it takes 28 days to create a new habit right? I am planning on gratitude being my next major goal. No more half way, in my head gratitude.

I want that bold and italic thankfulness that everyone around me feels.

So to start, I am thankful for my Bible Study ladies. They touch my life in ways I can not express, offer love that is moving, support that is unfailing, understanding in life’s teachable moments, and wisdom to God’s message. Ladies, thank you from the bottom of my heart for growing me more and more in God’s love and faithfulness.

As one season transitions to another and I prep for sweater weather, I know I have to gradually transition. An easy way for me to work sweaters back into my everyday look is to pair them with my favie pair of denim shorts, and some fall footwear. I mean, this look is effortless, just like my love of fall. Pretty soon the weather will turn these shorts into jeans and my life will feel complete.